Appian's History of Rome: The Punic Wars §§76-80

Appian of
Alexandria (c.95-c.165) is the author of a Roman History and
one of the most underestimated of all Greek historians. Although only his
books on the Roman Civil Wars survive in their entirety, large parts of
other books have also come down to us. His account of the Punic Wars, which
deals with the wars in Africa, is fortunately among these better preserved
parts.

The translation was made by Horace White; footnotes
and additions in green
by Jona Lendering.

[§76][149]
The declaration of war and the war itself reached the Carthaginians
by the same messenger. He brought the vote of the Senate,
and told them that the fleet had already sailed. They were astounded, and
in despair for want of ships and by the recent loss of so many young men.
They had neither allies, nor mercenaries, nor supplies for enduring a siege,
nor anything else in readiness for this sudden and unheralded war. They
knew that they could not prevail against the Romans and Massinissa
combined. They sent another embassy to Rome with full powers to settle
the difficulty on any terms they could. The Senate was convened and it
told them that if, within thirty days, the Carthaginians would give to
the consuls,
who were still Sicily,
three hundred children of their noblest families as hostages, and would
obey their orders in other respects, the freedom and autonomy of Carthage
should be preserved and that they should retain their lands in Africa.
This was voted in public, and they gave the resolution to the ambassadors
to carry to Carthage; but they sent word privately to the consuls that
they should carry out their secret instructions.

[§77] The Carthaginians had some suspicion
of this Senate resolution, since there was no security given for the return
of the hostages. Nevertheless, the danger was so great that they could
omit nothing in which hope could be placed. So, anticipating the appointed
time, they sent their children into Sicily, amid the tears of the parents,
the kindred, and especially the mothers, who clung to their little ones
with frantic cries and seized hold of the ships and of the officers who
were taking them away, even holding the anchors and tearing the ropes,
and throwing their arms around the sailors in order to prevent the ships
from moving; some of them even swam out far into the sea beside the ships,
shedding tears and gazing at their children. Some of them tore out their
hair on the shore and smote their breasts in the extremity of their grief.
It seemed to them that they were giving hostages only nominally, but were
really giving up the city, when they surrendered their children without
any fixed conditions. Many of them predicted, with lamentations, that it
would profit the city nothing to have delivered up their children. Such
were the scenes that took place in Carthage when the hostages were sent
away. When the consuls received them in Sicily they sent them to Rome,
and said to the Carthaginians that they would give them further information
at Utica in reference to the ending of the war.

[§78] Crossing to the latter place they
pitched the camp for their infantry at the same place where that of [Publius
Cornelius] Scipio [Africanus] had formerly
been. The fleet remained in the harbor of Utica.

When the ambassadors came there from Carthage the consuls placed themselves
on a high seat, with the chief officers and military tribunes standing
near, and the whole army drawn up on either side with arms glistening and
standards erect, in order that the ambassadors might be impressed in this
way with the strength of the expedition. When the consuls had proclaimed
silence by the trumpet, a herald told the Carthaginian envoys to come forward,
and they advanced through the long camp, but did not draw near to the place
where the consuls sat, because they were fenced off by a rope.

The consuls then ordered them to tell what they wanted. The envoys then
told a various and pitiful tale about the former agreements between the
Romans and themselves, about the antiquity of Carthage, its size and power,
and its wide dominion on land and sea. They said that they did not mention
these things in a boasting way, this was no fit occasion for boasting,
"but that you, Romans (they said), may be moved to moderation and clemency
by the example of our sudden change of fortune. The bravest are those who
pity the fallen, and they may cherish confidence in their own continued
prosperity in proportion as they do nothing to the injury of others. Such
a course will be worthy of you, Romans, and of that reverent spirit which
you, of all men, most profess.

[§79] "But even if we had met ruthless
enemies we have suffered enough. Our leadership on land and sea has been
taken from us; we delivered our ships to you, and we have not built others;
we have abstained from the hunting and possession of elephants. We have
given you, both before and now, our noblest hostages, and we have paid
tribute to you regularly, we who had always been accustomed to receive
it from others. These things were satisfactory to your fathers, with whom
we had been at war. They entered into an agreement with us that we should
be friends and allies, and we took the same oath together to observe the
agreement. And they, with whom we had been at war, observed the agreement
faithfully afterward.

But you, with whom we have never come to blows, what part of the treaty
do you accuse us of violating, that you vote for war so suddenly, and march
against us without even declaring it? Have we not paid the tribute? Have
we any ships, or any hateful elephants? Have we not been faithful to you
from that time to this? Are we not to be pitied for the recent loss of
50,000 men by hunger?

But we have fought against Massinissa, you say. He was always grabbing
our property, and we endured all things on your account. While holding,
all the time and contrary to right, the very ground on which he was nurtured
and educated, he seized other lands of ours around Emporium, and after
taking that he invaded still others, until the peace which we made with
you was broken. If this is an excuse for the war, we condemned those who
resisted him, and we sent our ambassadors to you to make the necessary
explanations, and afterwards others empowered to make a settlement on any
terms you pleased. What need is there of a fleet, an expedition, an army
against men who do not acknowledge that they have done wrong, but who,
nevertheless, put themselves entirely in your hands?

That we are not deceiving you, and that we will submit ungrudgingly
to whatever penalty you impose, we demonstrated plainly when we sent, as
hostages, the children of our noblest families, demanded by you, as soon
as the decree of your Senate ordered us to do so, not even waiting the
expiration of the thirty days. It was a part of this decree that if we
would deliver the hostages Carthage should remain free under her own laws
and in the enjoyment of her possessions."

[§80] So spoke the ambassadors. Then [consul
Lucius Marcius] Censorinus rose and replied as follows: "Why is
it necessary that I should tell you the causes of the war, Carthaginians,
when your ambassadors have been at Rome and have learned them from the
Senate? What you have stated falsely, that I will refute. The decree itself
declared, and we gave you notice in Sicily when we received the hostages,
that the rest of the conditions would be made known to you at Utica. For
your promptness in sending the hostages and your care in selecting them,
you are entitled to praise. If you are sincerely desirous of peace why
do you need any arms? Bring all your weapons and engines of war, both public
and private, and deliver them to us."

When he had thus spoken the ambassadors said that they would comply
with this order also, but that they did not know how they could defend
themselves against Hasdrubal, whom they had condemned to death, and who
was now leading 20,000 men against them, and was already encamped near
Carthage. When the consul said that he would take care of Hasdrubal they
promised to deliver up their arms.

Thereupon [Publius] Cornelius Scipio Nasica
[Serapio] and Gnaeus Cornelius Hispanus were sent with the ambassadors,
and they received complete armor for 200,000 men, besides innumerable javelins
and darts, and 2,000 catapults for throwing pointed missiles and stones.
When they came back it was a remarkable and unparalleled spectacle to behold
the vast number of loaded wagons which the enemy themselves brought in.
The ambassadors accompanied them, together with numerous senators and other
leading men of the city, priests and distinguished persons, who hoped to
inspire the consuls with respect or pity for them. They were brought in
and stood in their robes before the consuls. Again Censorinus (who was
a better speaker than his colleague) rose, and with a stern countenance
spoke as follows: